Twitter Reacts to Ronda Rousey's Domination, More WWE SummerSlam Results

In its final year in the Barclays Center, WWE SummerSlam 2018 promised a huge night of action, with Ronda Rousey and Brock Lesnar in title matches, AJ Styles facing Samoa Joe for the first time in a WWE ring and Daniel Bryan finally fighting The Miz to name just a few major clashes.

In the end, it turned out to be a strong night of wrestling with many surprises along the way. While the finishes of certain matches led to some controversy with multiple disqualifications and squashes, the event was impressively paced over its four hours.

With all the high-energy excitement, it was inevitable the show would be loaded with interesting reactions—from happiness to shock to frustration—making this one of the most interesting SummerSlams in years.

Ronda Rousey Takes Over WWE in Dominant Fashion

It did not take long for Ronda Rousey to become the Raw Women's champion. She dominated Alexa Bliss and ultimately made her tap out to the armbar. It was the biggest squash match on a night of multiple surprise squashes.

Even before the show began, fans were talking up the former UFC star's unique look for this big night. A variety of references were made for the black eyeliner choice:

That said, the biggest talk was on Rousey's historic, though expected, victory. She is the first woman to win championships in both UFC and WWE.

Many came out to congratulate her, including UFC heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier:

It was not the top-notch match that her past two clashes were, but it was what it needed to be. We have now entered the era of Rousey on Raw.

Braun Strowman is Used to Save Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns

Early in the night, Braun Strowman made quick work of Kevin Owens, leaving many surprised until the main event when The Monster Among Men interrupted Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns to declare his intention to cash in on the winner.

However, it was made clear as the match progressed that this would not be Strowman's night. He was attacked by Reigns and Lesnar until he was unable to complete his promise with The Big Dog then taking the Universal Championship with a final Spear.

This use of The Monster in the Bank was smart as it helped rile up and energize the crowd, but it was also highly manipulative. Fans saw right through the trick once the show ended with The Big Dog on top:

As a match, though, Reigns vs. Lesnar worked. It was a chaotic sprint reminiscent of The Beast Incarnate's clashes with Goldberg.

Most fans did not care either way, though, as the reactions were mainly focused on The Beast's reign finally ending and Reigns being the one to close it:

On a night of strong and impactful wrestling, this wasn't a truly fitting main event, but it was likely far better than anyone expected. Moreover, it started some interesting stories to come for Reigns and Strowman.

Samoa Joe Pushes AJ Styles Over the Edge

In their vicious first encounter, Styles and Joe put on a strong first outing. Their battle was a showcase of just how good the veterans are and how much chemistry they have together. The sequences were great.

Unfortunately, it could not quite live up to the talent in the ring. Fans in the audience knew how big this should have been, even noting the history between them with TNA chants:

However, the contest was somewhat disappointing from an in-ring perspective due to its finish. Styles lost it at the crucial moment in the contest and assaulted Joe with a steel chair, leading to a non-finish in this WWE Championship clash.

That is not to say that the DQ attack was not wholly unwelcome. The reaction to this moment was mixed, with some fans happy with the setup for a future even more heated encounter:

Styles and Joe are two of the best in the business, and their matches will likely only get better with time, but it was interesting to see The Phenomenal One lose it here and make this as personal as possible.

Hopefully Styles hasn't permanently scarred his young daughter:

Seth Rollins and Dolph Ziggler Steal the Show in the Opener

While many matches were strong on this lengthy card, few bouts earned as much praise as the opener between Dolph Ziggler and Seth Rollins. Despite speculation around potential twists and turns, it was a straightforward wrestling clash between top veterans.

The talk started early thanks to Rollins' attire. His ode to Thanos did not go unnoticed by MCU Cosmic founder Jeremy Conrad:

The contest itself was what gained most of the attention, though. The two brought out their best throughout, and it showed in a stellar sequence of rising action that built to a thunderous climax.

The Architect and The Showoff have had many great matches but this may have been their best yet. From the impressive inverted superplex combo to the vicious homestretch, this contest earned wide praise from all sides:

It has a strong argument for being one of the best SummerSlam openers of all time and the best the two have been together. Few on this card could match up.

Becky Lynch Finally Snaps

In a strong triple threat match between three of the biggest women on SmackDown, Becky Lynch got as close as she has been to the SmackDown Women's Championship since she first lost it to Alexa Bliss in 2016.

With Carmella stuck in the Dis-arm-her in the center of the ring, only Charlotte Flair could save the SmackDown women's champion. The Queen hit Lynch with the Natural Selection and basically stole the moment from The Irish Lass Kicker.

While the match was solid, it was the post-match explosion that got everyone talking as Lynch assaulted her best friend, throwing her over the announce table. The reactions were loud and emphatic:

While it was clearly a heel turn for Lynch, who has never been a villain on the main roster, the crowd in the Barclays Center were all behind her actions:

It is telling that the popular star was still cheered over SmackDown's supposed top woman in her heinous attack, and it will be interesting to watch what comes next in this feud.

Daniel Bryan Looks All the Way Back

In what might be the match of the night, if not the year, The Miz and Daniel Bryan went all out in their clash at SummerSlam. The storytelling, traded moves and impressive pacing made this an incredible bout throughout and got more than a few effusive tweets of praise:

While Miz ultimately escaped with the win thanks to brass knuckles, Bryan's performance was celebrated.

This was the Bryan many had hoped to see when he first came back from injury, and it led to a slew of positive tweets:

This match will hopefully only be the beginning of Bryan's rise back to the top, but hopefully it also will not be forgotten just how great Miz is. The two were great together and should not be done yet.

The Demon Returns

In a surprise appearance, Finn Balor came out to his match with Baron Corbin as The Demon. With his best gimmick on display, he destroyed The Constable in short order.

Many expected The Demon had disappeared from WWE, so his return to action led to a flurry of excited tweets about the moment:

Perhaps we will finally see Balor returning to the top with The Demon paint back to support his rise. At SummerSlam, it was clear he was unstoppable.